Message from the President
December 26, 2021
Tensasans,
It has been two years since Tensas families have been able to gather together in one big room. You have definitely been missed! Two weeks ago, I was installed as president of Tensas Reunion, Inc. So it is with gratitude that I can speak to you now, from a different part of the room.
The new role, bestowed upon me, is accepted honorably. And with full acknowledgement that this charge represents a genuine expression of trust, I am humbled. But I am also inspired by the vastness of the opportunities that lie in front of TRI as we prepare for the year ahead.
As a current resident of California, it has literally been a lifetime since my full-time residence in Tensas Parish. Even so, it was those formative years there that continue to have the greatest impact on my approach to life. Those years, spent with many of you, served me well.
I spent a few days at home, just recently. It was wonderful! The newness was dwarfed by the familiarity of places that hold memories long since out of the forefront of my mind. It’s only on revisiting those places that I’m reminded of their significance in my approach to life. I am also reminded of just how precious that life is.
Over the past year, we have continued to lose many that have touched our lives in special ways. One of those, for me, was Vernon Jordon. I had the pleasure of hearing him in Los Angeles early in my career and of having a personal exchange with him on Martha’s Vineyard, late in my career. I still carry one of his messages with me—
“You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If you stand on the shoulders of others, you have a reciprocal responsibility to live your life so that others may stand on your shoulders. It’s the quid pro quo of life. We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”—Vernon Jordan
It is my intent to give my best to this organization. I am hopeful that there are many of you who feel the same. I urge you to please give of your time, your knowledge, and your talents as we move our organization, with determination, toward the grand vision laid out for us by our founders. We are open to your many gifts and I pledge to make the best use of all that you bring—for today and for our descendants in the future.
Warmest regards,
Dottie Price, Class of 1971
President of Tensas Reunion, Inc.
